SEATTLE -- Mayor Greg Nickels has released the city’s 2006-2007 Environmental
Action Agenda, which builds on Seattle’s leadership in the fight against
climate change and outlines how the city will restore its urban forest, protect
water quality and build healthy communities.

The four pillars of the Action Agenda - the Climate Change Initiative, the
Restore Our Waters program, the Green Seattle Initiative and Healthy People & Communities
- link the health of the urban ecosystems to the prosperity, health and social
equity of the city as a whole.

“A healthy urban environment isn’t just a nice thing to have,” Nickels
said. “It’s vital to the health of our residents and our economy.
That’s why this Environmental Action Agenda is such an important part
of my administration.”

This fall the city will release for comment the Urban Forest Management Plan
-- the first-ever comprehensive plan for restoring and managing Seattle’s
urban forest. Because of construction, invasive plants and old-age, the city’s
tree cover has shrunk from 40 percent of the city in 1972 to just 18 percent
today.

The plan will guide the city as it strives to meet aggressive tree planting
goals on public and private land, and will detail tree maintenance and restoration
plans that will preserve the forest’s beauty and ability to help clean
the air and water.

Also this fall, the mayor will unveil the Seattle Climate Action Plan, which
will guide the city in specific measures to further reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions as well as detail ways the city can lead residents and businesses
in the fight against climate disruption.

The city is succeeding in protecting aquatic habitat and water quality and
will continue to do so under the 2006-2007 Agenda. It has completed shoreline
restoration of Green Lake and Lake Washington, built 42 blocks of natural drainage
systems, and enacted progressive development protections for ecologically sensitive
areas. The agenda calls for new incentives for property owners to manage storm
water on their own land and new capital improvement projects aimed at improving
water quality.

The Healthy People & Communities program will continue to strengthen the
city’s Green Building Program; push for improvement of transit, bicycle
and pedestrian facilities; and work to increase housing choices in neighborhoods
across the city.